


Rough Day

by FFanon



Series: Can't Get Enough [7]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Bad Days, Bruises, F/M, Phone Call, menstrual cramps
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-03-26 10:32:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19003981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FFanon/pseuds/FFanon
Summary: Despite Rachel having a day where everything felt like it went wrong, it has a much happier ending than she expected.





	Rough Day

**Author's Note:**

> (The word count! haha)

When Shane hears his call get picked up, he doesn’t hear Rachel’s voice right away.  Instead, he hears crackling, Rachel sounding far away as she shouts ‘Damn it!’, then a thud.

He pulls the phone away from his ear to look at it before bringing it back to the side of his face.

Then he hears her.

“Shane? You still there?” she asks breathlessly.

“Yeah, I’m here.  Everything okay?” he chuckles.

“Yeah, I just dropped the damn phone,” and he hears her give a frustrated sigh.  Then it sounds almost like a shuddering breath, like the sound someone makes before they start to cry, but he isn’t sure if he heard it right.

“Everything else okay?” he asks gently.

It’s unmistakable this time.  He hears the same shuddering breath before she clears her throat.

“…I’m having an awful day, but it’s fine.  How are you?”

He’s found she does this sometimes.  She tries to hold things in because she feels she has no right to complain about anything with the job he has and the things he has to deal with on a daily basis.  He hates that.

“Not good if you’re not.  What’s goin’ on?”  Shane sees Rick glance at him.

Rachel’s on her lunch hour, sitting inside her car.  She just wanted to be alone from everything for a little bit.

As expected, she doesn’t answer him instantly.  He hears her sigh a couple of times before she finally starts talking.

“I don’t know, it just seems like everything’s not going well today.  I got a flat tire on the way to work which made me stain my work pants from changing it.  Normally, that wouldn’t be a big deal because I thought I had a back up pair in my locker, but I didn’t.  And no one else working today does either so I’ve been walking around with dirt stained khakis on.  Then one of my older clients almost fell getting off the stationary bike so when I went to catch her, my hip bumped into another piece of equipment and it hurts so bad.  And that’s on top of the menstrual cramps from this god-awful period and I feel exhausted.  I just want to be in my bed with pizza and ice cream and forget about today.” 

Rachel leans her forehead on her steering wheel as a wave of said menstrual cramps course through her lower abdomen.

“Aw darlin’,” Shane soothes, “I’m sorry today’s been such shit.”

The bluntness makes her give a small laugh which Shane counts as a win.

“Even when I feel like nothing could get better, you always somehow make me smile,” she grins.

Shane gives his lips a quick lick before smiling and softly replies, “That’s my job.”

Rick tries not to laugh at the sweet way Shane speaks, like a lovesick puppy.

Feeling a bit better from talking with him, Rachel gets just a little flirty, “Yeah? Making sure I’m happy?”

“That’s right,” he says a little lower, more aware now that he still has Rick as an audience, and swipes his hand over his adorable grin.

When he hears a low giggle from her, he feels a swell of pride in his chest.  It’s something he’s felt since the first time he’s made her laugh and he swears it’s a feeling that will never stop.

“Talking to you is always the best part of my day,” she sweetly informs him as she smiles on her end.

“Rick’ll be jealous, but same for me, baby,” he smiles and then laughs when she does.  A glance at Rick show’s the man looking at Shane with a raised brow.

“Alright, my break’s over so I gotta go.  Talk to you later?”

“Yeah, you’ll be hearin’ this voice again. That’s a promise.”

“Good.  Stay safe.”

“You too.  And you let me know if there’s anything I can do for you, alright? Even if I gotta knock somebody out.”

Another small laugh from her, “My hero,” she teases.

“You know it,” he grins.

“Bye, baby.”

“Talk to you soon, sweetheart.”

**~~~**

As soon as Rachel gets home at the end of the day, despite being hungry, she wants to just be in her bed. 

After taking Delilah out, she takes a hot shower and changes into comfortable clothes. 

Her hip aches so bad thanks to the big bruise she now has and her cramps are trying to kill her. 

Downing a couple pain relievers, slapping a heating pad on her lower abdomen, and grabbing an ice pack for her hip, Rachel lastly grabs a throw blanket and lays on top of her bed, curling up underneath the throw.  

Sensing the discomfort of her owner, Delilah grabs her kangaroo toy and places it on Rachel’s bed before laying down on the floor next to it.

Rachel turns on the television in her room and settles on some old sitcom reruns as she waits for the pain relievers to kick in.  The grumbles of her stomach only serve as a reminder that hopefully she’ll feel good enough to get herself something to eat soon.

About an hour goes by when she hears her front door open.  Delilah’s head pops up only after she hears Rachel shift on the bed.

Before she can even shout anything out, Shane appears in the doorway of her bedroom holding a pizza box and a plastic shopping bag.

“You said pizza and ice cream, right?”

She truly did not expect this.  And with her currently being hormonal, she feels silly when her throat feels tight from emotion.

An appreciative smile when she nods, “Yeah.”

Shane grins and places everything on top of her dresser so he can properly greet her.

He throws a quick greeting to Delilah before laying down next to his girlfriend so she doesn’t have to move.

“How’re you doin’?” he touches her cheek.

“Not great. Better now, but could still stand to improve,” she reaches a hand out to his chest.

Seeing a lump at her hip under the throw, she doesn’t fight him when he lifts up the blanket and spots the ice pack.  Glancing at her, he pulls back the blanket completely. 

Rachel watches as he moves the ice pack then pulls down the waist of her sweatpants and lifts the hem of her t-shirt.  He takes a sharp inhale at the sight of her sizeable black and blue.

“Shit,” he looks to her again before gently placing the ice pack back over her bruise. He pulls the blanket back over her. 

“So, you got this and your period goin’ on?” he asks sympathetically, placing his hand on the side of her neck, his thumb stroking her jaw. 

She nods against her pillow, “Lucky me.”

Shane kisses her softly then presses one to her forehead.

“Sorry, baby,” he kisses her again, “Listen, whatever you need, just tell me.  I know I brought the food but there’s no expectation for me to stay. I totally get it if you just want to relax alone after the day you’ve had.  But I’ll do whatever you need me to before I go.”

“You mind staying?” she lightly touches her fingertips to his jaw.

“Do I mind stayin’?” he repeats under his breath with a smirk.

Shane leans forward slowly and as he buries his face to her neck, Rachel giggles and wraps her arms around him, leaning back to hold him proper.

After he presses a kiss to her neck, “You know I never mind stayin’.”

With that, he pulls back and leans on his elbow.  Smoothing a hand over her hair.

“I was thinking pizza in bed, because I don’t want to move,” she grins with a laugh. 

“Pizza in bed comin’ right up,” he presses a quick kiss to her lips before getting up. 

Shane proceeds to pull out a dog treat from the shopping bag and presents it to Delilah before taking the ice cream to the freezer.   When he returns, he has two plates with napkins sitting on top and two cans of soda. 

After settling into bed with her, the two of them polish off almost the whole pizza.  And Delilah definitely got sneaky pieces of crust thanks to Shane.

At the moment, Rachel’s curled into Shane’s side as they watch a marathon of some show that’s on.  Shane has one arm around her and is holding the pint of ice cream with his other hand.  Rachel’s been alternating between feeding him a spoonful and then herself. 

During a commercial break, a preview of what was coming up on the nightly news plays.  It shows the video of a happy dog and talks about how the dog was rescued from a well after missing for a couple days.  It’s a sweet story, and a happy one. 

Shane hears sniffling and glances at his girlfriend to see her wiping at her eyes. 

Rachel feels him briefly smile against her head before feeling him kiss her hair. 

He knows it’s the hormones.  Last month she had cried at a commercial where a baby cried over a broken toy.

Rachel lets out a weak, watery laugh at herself because she knows too why it’s making her cry so easily.

As she wipes at her tears, Shane puts the ice cream aside on the bedside table.  Then he moves his hand over hers, ready to sweetly lift hers to kiss it when she lets out a tiny hiss and quickly pulls her hand back.

“Your hand is freezing,” she laughs.  She looks at him and brings her hand to his cheek, a smile still on her face.

“Shit, sorry,” he laughs with her.  Even when she kisses him, they both end up laughing into it.

Rachel takes his cold hand and holds it between hers, rubbing it as Shane presses a kiss to her temple.

It’s as she’s doing that when a particularly painful string of cramps hits her.  Instinctively, she grips Shane’s hand which grabs his attention.

Her eyes squeeze shut and she curls into him more. 

Quickly understanding, he tightens his arm around her and holds her against him.  Rachel fits her fingers of one hand between his and keeps squeezing as she grips his shirt with her other, her forehead pressing against his chest.

“I got ya, I got ya,” he repeats, rubbing her back.

There’s something about seeing his lady in such horrible pain and knowing he can’t help ease it that leaves him feeling so useless.  The only thing he can do is hold her close as she rides it out.

It lasts about ten minutes when he finally feels her start to relax into him again.  The holds on him loosen and her breathing steadies out.

“I hate periods,” she groans as she slowly starts to uncurl her body.

“I hate ‘em on your behalf,” he kisses her forehead and hears her huff out a laugh.

“Thank you,” she smirks.

“Seriously though, you alright? You need anything?”

Before she can answer, Delilah stands from her spot down on Rachel’s bedroom floor and whines with a tail wag.

Despite Shane’s insistence that he’d take her outside so Rachel could stay relaxed on the bed, she tells him it’s okay.

Both of them take Delilah outside and after a fifteen-minute walk around outside, the three of them return to her apartment.  As Shane hangs the leash up, Rachel kneels down and gives love to her loyal friend, giving her a dog treat for doing her business.

With a kiss to Delilah’s head, she stands up and as she watches Dee munch away, she covers her mouth to hide a small yawn.

Shane just watches the two of them, a grin of adoration on his face.

At the sight of his girlfriend yawning, he moves over to her and rubs the back of her neck before wrapping an arm around her waist.

She smiles tiredly at him which triggers him to lean down and scoop her up into his arms.

Rachel wraps her arms around his neck and kisses along his jaw.

He carries her into her bedroom, shares a kiss with her, before laying her down.  Standing up, he pulls his t-shirt off and hits the light before slipping into bed next to her.

As soon as he’s in bed, he leans over her.  Rachel’s arms around his neck, he leans on his forearm and smooths his hand down her side as he kisses her. 

When she pulls away, his eyes roam over her beautiful face.

Rachel cups the back of his neck, her other hand trailing down his bare chest.  Shane looks into her eyes.

“I love you,” he softly says.

It’s the first time either one has said it out loud.  That’s the only surprise of it.  Because both of them have already made it pretty clear how deep they feel for one another.

Rachel’s hand abandons his chest to cover her mouth as a small, sweet laugh escapes her.  It’s the result of her surprise and excitement at hearing Shane say that to her.

He smiles at the cuteness of her reaction.

Moving her hand to slide along his jaw, she smiles up at him.

“I love you, too.”

And though both aren’t shocked to learn such a thing, they’d be lying if they said actually hearing it wasn’t beautiful all its own.


End file.
